Bruisers, Bangers Give Sharks Home-Ice Edge

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, September 4, 1996

IT WAS a regular picnic at Sharks home games last season. Almost everyone was having a wonderful time.

Sharks fans were happy because . . . well, we haven't really figured that out yet. Apparently, they were just so darned delighted to have a team -- five years after joining the NHL -- that anything was worth a standing ovation, even a 20-55-7 season.

Sharks players were content because in the midst of the turmoil of the season, they were still getting paid and hadn't been traded -- yet.

And most of all, visiting teams were happy. They usually won and always had a nice time.

"I think Bernie Nicholls was right on," says Sharks general manager Dean Lombardi. "After we signed Bernie (a 15-year veteran center), he said, 'You know, nobody ever didn't like playing the Sharks. You knew it wasn't going to be a rough night. If you're gonna be a team in this league, people have to dread coming into your building. The Sharks never scared anybody.' "

Well, if Lombardi is right, the Shark Tank just stopped being everyone's favorite vacation spot. Training camp begins Saturday, and everyone will be asked to review his medical plan before stepping on the ice.

In a whirlwind of offseason moves, Lombardi has added such a collection of bruisers and bangers that he has already begun to issue the dreaded disclaimer: "This is not a goon squad."

OK, but you wouldn't have to make many changes to turn it into one. In his first chance to wield the power to shape the team since the departure of Chuck Grillo, Lombardi has added age, savvy and a mean streak.

Even the news releases sound menacing. We are told that 16-year veteran winger Tim Hunter "has amassed 3,011 penalty minutes, playing him fourth on the NHL's all-time career penalty minutes list."

MCSORLEY ADDED

And, in a move that should boost the Sharks penalty-minutes deficit, Lombardi also picked up Marty McSorley, who -- what are the chances? -- is fifth among the NHL's all-time career penalty-minutes leaders.

Nor is Nicholls expected to float around the ice like a fluffy little cloud. He is described as "a tough and consistent scorer with a nasty streak when needed."

And that's not to mention Todd Ewen. Even Lombardi acknowledges that Ewen's greatest contribution may be to apply his 6-foot-3, 230-pound body to visiting puck pushers. He's described as having "a rugged, physical style of play and a demonstrated willingness to stand up for his teammates."

PERCEPTION

With all those penalty minutes, it is easy to see why, as Lombardi says, "the perception got out of whack. These guys can play."

And if they can't, they should make sure no one else can. To his credit, Lombardi is admitting what critics have long said about the Sharks -- their defensemen were a weak link.

"The biggest change is in our back line," Lombardi says. "Let's face it, that was a huge problem. People were having picnics in front of our net."

There's that word again. Let's just say that opponents should leave the checkered tablecloth and sandwiches at home this season. According to the news release, McSorley is known for two things: the "ability to create havoc on the ice" and an "ability to clear opponents from the crease."

OK, now that we've knocked everyone down, what's next? Well, Lombardi has taken what he acknowledges are a couple of calculated risks in forward Tony Granato and defenseman Al Iafrate.

ENTRANCED

Iafrate is the kind of guy who could have a big payoff, assuming he can stand up and skate. He's had two extremely serious knee injuries and has not played the last two seasons. Still, Lombardi was entranced by the former All-Star's potential.

"If you were going to build a robot to play hockey," he says, "Iafrate would be pretty close to the model. He's 6-3, 235 pounds and a finalist for fastest skater (in the NHL skills competition) and a finalist for hardest shot."

Granato is a personal favorite of Lombardi, who used to represent him during his days as an agent. Granato is fine except for the brain surgery he underwent last season. Like Iafrate, Granato is a risk, but Lombardi loves the guy.

ABSOLUTE JERK

"He's an absolute jerk to play against," Lombardi says, offering his highest praise.

It all leaves the new GM with only one regret. Although Lombardi played dumb when the story broke that the Sharks were chasing Wayne Gretzky -- "I don't know where that's coming from" -- he now says it was "pretty much right on." At one point, he says, he was sure they were going to land him. Instead, The Great One took a deal with the New York Rangers, winning Lombardi's grudging admiration.

THE UP SIDE

"What's the up side there?" Lombardi wonders. "He took some serious abuse there last year. They've got to win it all or the season is a failure. I told him he certainly could own this town. But he took less money and less term to take a shot at the Cup and expose himself to all that.

"At first I was mad, but then I thought, 'You know what, that's why this friggin' guy is so great. How many guys these days would have taken the easy way?"